From Academia to Access: How One of the Most Respected Pain Physicians Is Bringing Advanced Relief Directly to Patients in Chicago
Chair of Pain Medicine at Rush has joined MAPS Centers for Pain Control.
CHICAGO, Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- When Dr. Timothy R. Lubenow first walked through the halls of Rush University Medical Center as a young anesthesiology resident in the 1980s, pain medicine wasn't yet a defined specialty. Most physicians saw it as a symptom, not a science.
Four decades later, after helping build that very field—training generations of specialists and helping codify the Budapest Criteria, the international standard for diagnosing Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)—Dr. Lubenow is once again reshaping how patients in Chicago experience care.
"At this stage in my career, I want to focus on the one thing that started it all—helping people move beyond pain," Dr. Lubenow says. "The science has evolved tremendously, but what still matters most is seeing a patient stand, walk, or smile again. That moment never gets old."
This fall, the longtime Chair of Pain Medicine at Rush has joined MAPS Centers for Pain Control (MAPS), a leading interventional pain clinic with offices throughout Chicagoland and Indiana. It's a move that signals both a professional milestone and a personal mission: to spend more time face-to-face with the patients whose lives his innovations have touched.
A Legacy of Leadership
At Rush, Dr. Lubenow built one of the nation's most acclaimed pain fellowship programs, wrote some of the first board certification questions for the American Board of Anesthesiology's Pain Exam, and mentored hundreds of pain physicians now practicing across the country.
He was also among the first in the United States to perform Dorsal Root Ganglion (DRG) stimulation, a minimally invasive neuromodulation procedure that offers lasting relief for patients with severe nerve pain.
His work helped elevate interventional pain medicine from a niche discipline to a vital component of modern healthcare, bridging the gap between surgery and rehabilitation, between symptom management and true recovery.
Why MAPS, Why Now
Founded by Dr. Darrel Saldanha and Dr. Thomas Pontinen, MAPS has quietly become one of the Midwest's fastest-growing pain practices—expanding access to advanced procedures without the hospital overhead or long wait times.
For Dr. Lubenow, that alignment of innovation and accessibility was decisive.
"Our healthcare system is changing," he says. "Patients want options that are advanced, evidence-based, and delivered in an environment built entirely around their recovery. That's what MAPS represents."
Dr. Saldanha adds that the move also strengthens MAPS' educational mission:
"He brings world-class expertise and the heart of a teacher," Saldanha notes. "Our entire team and every patient we serve will benefit from that."
Dr. Pontinen agrees:
"The demand for interventional pain care is rising across the Midwest, and Dr. Lubenow's arrival positions MAPS to meet that need at scale," he says. "Few physicians have shaped this field as deeply as he has, and even fewer remain as patient-centered after 40 years."
The Next Chapter of Care
At MAPS' Chicago location, Dr. Lubenow will continue treating patients with CRPS, spinal disorders, neuropathic pain, and degenerative joint disease, using the same blend of evidence, empathy, and innovation that defined his academic tenure.
His guiding principle remains simple: effective pain treatment isn't about eliminating symptoms—it's about restoring lives.
"Pain isolates people," he says quietly. "Our job is to give them their world back."
About MAPS Centers for Pain Control
Founded by board-certified interventional pain specialists Dr. Darrel Saldanha, Dr. Thomas Pontinen and MAPS Centers for Pain Control is one of the Midwest's premier networks for advanced pain management. With clinics across the Chicago area and Indiana, MAPS combines state-of-the-art procedures with personalized, compassionate care to help patients find relief, restore mobility, and reclaim their quality of life.
Learn more at www.mwpain.com
About Dr. Timothy R. Lubenow
Dr. Timothy Lubenow is a nationally recognized leader in pain medicine, former Chair of Pain Medicine at Rush University Medical Center, and co-author of the Budapest Criteria for CRPS diagnosis. Over his 40-year career, he has received numerous honors, including Lifetime Achievement Awards from Rush and the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN). He continues to teach, lecture, and advance research in neuromodulation and interventional pain therapy.
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SOURCE MAPS Centers for Pain Control
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